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yesterday

Dallas USPS Driver Dies on Duty During Heat, Marking Second Postal Fatality in Two Years

Federal and local authorities have opened inquiries into his collapse as postal workers call for enhanced safety measures in extreme heat.

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Overview

  • Jacob Taylor, 51, who had served with the Postal Service for 28 years, collapsed on June 22 in the 2500 block of Medical District Drive and was later pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital after CPR efforts.
  • Temperatures reached the mid-90s on the day of Taylor’s collapse, echoing conditions when Eugene Gates Jr. died on June 20, 2023, of heat and heart disease while on his delivery route.
  • An autopsy was conducted on June 24, and investigators from USPS, OSHA and Dallas police are reviewing the circumstances of Taylor’s death pending the medical examiner’s final report.
  • Gates’s 2023 death led OSHA to fine USPS more than $15,600 for failing to protect workers from extreme outdoor heat and spurred Rep. Jasmine Crockett to secure a commitment for air-conditioned postal vehicles in Texas.
  • Union leaders say the recurrence of a heat-related collapse underscores persistent safety gaps and are demanding stronger protocols and equipment to protect mail carriers.